Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park, Limestone cave system in Queensland, Australia.
Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park consists of five separate sections: Royal Arch Cave, Donna Cave, Mungana Archways, Balancing Rock and Chillagoe Smelters. The caves were hollowed by groundwater from limestone laid down up to 400 million years ago, when the area was a shallow sea; stalactites and stalagmites formed later. The Archways, Pompeii cave and Bauhinia cave are self-guided.
Limestone at Chillagoe was laid down up to 400 million years ago, when the area was a shallow sea; groundwater later hollowed out the caves and stalactites and stalagmites grew inside them. Gold, silver, lead and copper were mined and smelted here from 1890 to 1930, leaving the Chillagoe Smelters ruins. The national park was established on 10 October 2008.
Small rock galleries of Indigenous Australian art can be seen on the way to the Mungana Archways, about 17 km west of Chillagoe. The park also holds the Chillagoe Smelters, where gold, silver, lead and copper ore were mined and processed between 1890 and 1930; mines, tanks and other remains are accessible.
Several caves, including the Archways, Pompeii cave and Bauhinia cave, are self-guided; guided tours are also offered. Camping and pets are not permitted in the park. The final 33 km to Chillagoe and 24 km on to Mungana are partly unsealed but fine for road vehicles.
The park is one of only five known nesting sites in Australia for the white-rumped swiftlet (Aerodramus spodiophygius). Mammal skeletons have also been found in the caves, including remains of the extinct giant kangaroo.
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